A cruise ship superfan who has lived at sea for over two decades says he 'can't walk straight' on land. Former financier Mario Salcedo has spent the last 23 years living on cruise ships which he views as 'an escape from reality'.
The American, who is better known onboard by the nickname 'Super Mario', has spent more than nine thousand nights on board Royal Caribbean ships, which is his preferred cruise company.
Salcedo admits he has barely touched land apart from a 15-month break from the waves due to the covid pandemic and has no desire to ditch the sea for "non-value activities" such as housework, reports the Mirror.
He said: "Adopting a cruise-ship life is basically escaping from reality. You are basically exiting the world as you know it on land and you're saying I don't want to be a part of that anymore."
The man gave up a lucrative career behind in 1997 at the age of 47 and by the millennium had embarked on a new life out at sea.
In his spare time, Salcedo indulges in water sports, watching baseball on TV and drinking cognac. He also has a passion for salsa dancing and makes an effort to mingle with staff and passengers when he can.
He had never even been on a cruise until he quit his job and went on six, back-to-back, which sparked his love for them. The bachelor, who has no children, was the subject of a 2018 short documentary called Meet The Happiest Guy In The World.
It was a title he gave himself, and it showed him enjoying the life of a permanent sailor chatting to staff and meeting passengers curious about his lifestyle.
His travels have taken him as far as China, Japan and New Zealand as well as through the Suez Canal. But he recommended any first-time cruisers to start with a transatlantic crossing from a port like Southampton.
Anyone who has been on a cruise, however, will know that it is not the cheapest mode of transport and it raises the question of how he can afford it.
Aside from the money he made as financier, Salcedo manages investment portfolios for private clients from the comfort of the ship.
He also stays on inner, cheaper cabins and has his own travel booking agent who helps secure him the cheapest cruise deals, which he reserves two years ahead.
While his status in Royal Caribbean’s loyalty club means he is only charged a 150% single occupancy supplement as opposed to the regular 200%, helping drive down his expenditure.
Salcedo spends an estimated $60,000 to $70,000 each year, reports Conde Nast Traveler. So far his extensive seafaring has cost him more than $1.4million.
Being a minor celebrity on the ships, he is afforded some special treatment like dining at the captain's table and joining the crew onstage to wave goodbye to passengers at the end of each cruise.
He is also invited on the pre-inaugural cruise for every new Royal Caribbean ship launched - an experience usually reserved only for press and travel agents.
The super- cruiser spends only around two weeks on land each year, where he still owns a condo in Miami, but noted that he has "lost his land legs" and can't walk in a straight line when there.
However, the pandemic forced him off his beloved ships for 15 months, instead spending all that time on the Caribbean island of Aruba going scuba diving (one of his passions) and fishing.
Salcedo reflected on the idea of becoming sick in old age and having to live out his last years in a “land hospital” - a scenario he called “pure hell”. Instead, if that happens then he might take “one final Scuba dive and just go down 400ft”.
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